


Run

by AuthorByNight



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Constructive Criticism Welcome, F/M, Gen, Post-Deathly Hallows, Team as Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-08-05
Updated: 2015-08-06
Packaged: 2018-04-13 01:30:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4502595
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AuthorByNight/pseuds/AuthorByNight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It has been six months since the war, and everyone's ready to try moving on. Lyall Lupin and Andromeda Tonks  are coming to terms with the death of their children, finding solace in one another - but will the case remain if Lyall learns about Andromeda's new alliance? Kingsley Shacklebolt is trying to lead a country that has been left bitter by war, so distrustful many even doubt him. And Hestia Jones is trying to harbor all she holds dear, which is hard when there's secrets she's never had the heart to reveal. </p><p>(Run There was originally posted on LJ as "Neither Here Nor There";  I am gradually posting it to Ao3 as an edited version. It is in the same ficverse as Spectators, Exactly. Sort Of., and The Beholders.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

_June 1995_

Kingsley strode through the door hastily, not even saying hello to his Mum. He simply said, "Mum, get Dad. Now."

Lydia obliged, and five minutes later his father came in. Clancy was in his chair today; apparently it was not one of his better. Kingsley instantly regretted not Flooing first, even though he knew stress had nothing to do with his father's legs.

"Dad? How are you feeling?" Kingsley asked.

"I overexerted myself moving things yesterday," Clancy explained.

Kingsley shook his head. "You need to let us help you sometimes."

"If I take it easy now, I'll be better later. It's been this way long before you were born, son. Now tell me - is it true?"

Kingsley nodded. "He's back, but the Ministry is in denial."

Lydia covered her mouth; Clancy looked somber.

"Just like the muggle wars," he said softly. "I knew it would happen."

Lydia's hands were clenched on Clancy's shoulders. "What are you going to do, if Fudge doesn't believe it?"

"My duty," Kingsley replied. "Dumbledore's got people, and I'll fight with them like I did last time."

"Excuse me? Last time?" Lydia did not sound pleased. "You never said anything about fighting last time."

"Well, I joined two weeks before the war ended." This was not something Kingsley was proud of; of course, who knew what would have happened had he joined earlier? He might not be here now. "So it's not like I really lied to you."

"The point is, he's fighting now," Clancy told Lydia. "That's what he's here to tell us."

"So wait - what do the other Aurors think?" Lydia asked. "Do they know the truth?"

"It's a mixed bag... Moody does, of course, and another work colleague's joining Dumbledore's fight, she's a recent addition. But everyone else seems pretty aligned with Fudge."

Clancy had a strange look on his face. "Are you saying you're fighting against your own Department?"

Kingsley wished his Dad hadn't said that. "That's one way of looking at it, I suppose."

"Good."

Kingsley thought he'd misheard. "What?"

But Clancy had a proud look in his eyes. "I named you Kingsley for a reason, you know. Always reckoned you'd do great things. Besides, I never thought much of the Ministry, why do you think I've stayed tied to the Muggle world?"

"Your father's right," Lydia said. "If anyone was meant to fight this, it was you. I don't like it, though, so do promise you'll be careful."

"I promise."

 

"Here you go," Tonks said as she put sandwiches on the table. She almost tripped, but fortunately her flatmate caught her arm just in time. Hestia knew this meant for all her friend was jovial and energetic, she was very nervous; when things were out of balance, Tonks was out of balance. The curse of being a Hufflepuff.

It had been a long time since Hestia's closest Hogwarts friends - Bill, Charlie, and Tonks - had been in the same room together all at once. It would have been far more joyous had the circumstances not been so horrible, nor so strange. Hestia had learned a lot from Tonks in the past two days, things she still couldn't quite wrap her mind around. She was supposed to like Sirius Black now, and he was old friends with her flatmate, Remus. Also, apparently some man named Peter Pettigrew was alive and dangerous. Hestia hadn't been able to process any of that, so she simply went along with it.

"You taught my sister Megan in school, didn't you?" Hestia asked Remus.

Remus smiled. "I did. She was very-"

"-oh Merlin..."

"-outspoken."

Hestia snorted. "Brat."

"And it was a pleasure to teach her."

"Wait, so you must be _that_ Lupin," Charlie said. "You had my siblings."

"I did. Fred and George always kept the mood light; I almost felt guilty when I had to discipline them."

"They couldn't have been any worse than your lot," Tonks said with a snort.

She looked at Hestia. "Have you spoken to your parents yet?"

Hestia shook her head. "I've been avoiding it.... I don't want to know who they'll believe. They all but held Fudge on a silver platter when he first became Minister. But they're quite friendly with the Diggorys, for whatever that may be worth."

"Percy's on Fudge's side," Bill said.

"Do we have to talk about that?" Charlie hissed.

"No, but they do need to know."

Hestia gritted her teeth. 

"Well, nevermind him," Tonks said with insincere nonchalance. "We're here, right?"

"How do we do this, though?" Charlie asked. "I don't know the next thing about fighting. It's not something I ever planned on."

"Did any of us? Besides Tonks," Hestia added. "And Remus, I s'pose..."

"Not the first time," Remus told her. "And of course, it was supposed to be the only time."

"You lot don't have to do this, you know," Tonks said. "Bill, nothing's stopping you from going back to Egypt, like Charlie's going back to Romania. Hestia, you could always go with one of them-"

"-forget it," Hestia interrupted. "We're in this together."

"And I'll still be here to fight time to time," Charlie pointed out. "Romania's just a base now."

"You'd be ready to kill us if we said we _weren't_ fighting," Bill finished.

Tonks smiled wryly; Remus looked sad; Bill and Charlie looked resolute; Hestia felt ill.

What would this actually mean?

 

"Well," Sirius said, turning to Andromeda, "it appears I can still get in this lovely place."

They were standing in the very large hall of Grimmauld Place; Dumbledore had asked them to ensure that they could access it. Of course, it would be a while before it could serve as proper Headquarters - until then, Sirius was to go back and forth between Andromeda and Ted's and Dora and her flatmate's. As Andromeda understood it, Remus would be moving in with Sirius, just to keep him company. This gave Andromeda some comfort.

Some.

The place looked exactly as Andromeda had remembered; elf heads along a stair case, cob webs, the stench of moss and death. Of course not everything had been there before - it had once been lovely, minus the elf heads. But Andromeda figured the house just looked closer to what it had always been.

And it gave her the worst, coldest chills.

Sirius seemed to be affected even more; his eyes were unnervingly dark, and Andromeda knew he wanted to leave, but was almost afraid to.

"We don't have to do this," she told him. "Who cares what Dumbledore says? Stay with Ted and I-"

"-no," Ted interrupted. "Andromeda, what if they try finding us? Things have changed. Sirius can't just turn into a dog."

He didn't understand. No one did; no one understood the hell that went on here. Witnessing the beheading of House Elves, every single child but one "good one" (usually Regulus or Bellatrix) receive coal for Christmas, being screamed at for accidentally speaking out of turn... the abuse was never physical, at least not towards Andromeda and her sisters (Druella would never have permitted it), but there were many emotional wounds.

"Ted, this is where Aunt Walburga threatened to kill you," Andromeda told him. Sirius made a growling noise under his breath; he remembered, of course. He'd been present. They all had.

"What?" Ted asked quickly.

Andromeda nodded grimly. "She didn't know your name, but she knew I was dating a muggleborn. Bellatrix almost told her, but I had blackmailed her. I just hope she remembers that."

"She's in Azkaban now," Ted reminded her.

Sirius laughed. "So was I. And now I'm going to another prison, the one I escaped when I was sixteen."

"I know," Ted said, "but Dumbledore thinks it's for the best, and right now, he's the one keeping all of us safe. He's keeping Dora safe, Andromeda."

"By convincing her to join the Order? I certainly didn't condone it!"

"Actually, I encouraged her to," Sirius said. "Not that she needed it. She wants to fight, and we need her, Andromeda. Dora will be fine. Remus and I have her back."

While Andromeda loved her cousin very much, even if things had been strange between them since his escape, and while she had always considered Remus a very nice man, she remembered the first war, how they had been, how their friends had been. Reckless, ridiculously noble to the point where they would endanger themselves to prevent their loved ones from getting something as mild as a paper cut... Sirius was no different now; why should his friend be? Dora was already very much like them - she didn't need encouragement.

"You may have her back," Andromeda replied, "but I fear you'll also be her downfall."

A look of hurt crossed Sirius's face, and Andromeda knew she had burned yet another bridge.

 

"You really have to meet me for dinner when something bad has not just happened," Lyall told Remus.

They were sitting at the dining table, which Lyall very rarely used - he occasionally hosted his parents, but their visits were even more infrequent than Remus's. They had not handled their grandson's lycanthropy well, viewing it as a tragedy, Remus as almost damaged goods. When Remus began to realize he was treated much differently than his cousins, Lyall had decided to limit contact. His son came first, always had. Even now.

"I came for Christmas Dinner."

"Yes, you did," Lyall said. "But that was six months ago."

Remus looked abashed, and Lyall was glad. "I know. I've been busy. Dad, I need to tell you something."

Lyall sighed. "He's back, isn't he?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Blasted Ministry, I knew they'd deny it." Lyall had many grievances with them, so this denial did not surprise him in the least. "I suppose Dumbledore's fighting them, at least?"

"About that; there's something else I never told you the first time."

"You were in a resistance group?"

"How did you-"

"I'm not stupid, Remus," Lyall said. More specifically, he'd figured out when people he knew Remus had known - and Remus's dearest friends, eventually - had died that they must have been part of something. He'd even told himself that was the reason for Remus's absence, and still chose to believe it, even if Remus had maintained a stiff distance since then. But even that was understandable; how many dear ones could a man bury before he didn't want to be close to anyone again?

Of course, Lyall also knew the distance was partly his fault. Remus had taken a humorous approach to being a werewolf; Lyall had never managed it, always wanting to treat the subject seriously - if it needed to be brought up at all. In that way, he wasn't much better than his parents, except the shame was of himself, not of his own child. Did Remus know that?

Remus smiled thinly. "Well, we're starting again. I know," he said as Lyall opened his mouth, "it's risky. But don't tell me not to rejoin them. I must."

Lyall had dreaded this. "It's not safe, especially now that you're fighting both the Ministry and Death Eaters."

Remus shrugged. "We were really fighting both the first time. You know that. Besides, they've never liked me much anyway. Occupational hazard of-"

"-I know," Lyall said briskly. "But that's precisely why you shouldn't do this."

Remus looked Lyall in the eye. "So I should just turn my back on Dumbledore? Sirius? James and Lily? Mum? Is that honestly what you're suggesting? Because if it is, I have other places to be."

Lyall knew Remus was right; once again, his desire to shield his son had gotten the better of him. Of course Remus had to join... whatever this group was.

"You'd make your mother proud," Lyall said quietly.

"Thank you. Now would you please pass the butter?"

Avoidance. Lyall supposed he'd be a hypocrite to object, so he handed his son butter, and they spoke of things that mattered very little in comparison to their new reality.


	2. Chapter 2

How does one choose a leader, and how does he lead?

Kingsley had always wondered how exactly he had been chosen by the resistance; he didn't think he was any more qualified than anyone else. True, he was knowledgeable - his mother was a historian, and his father a journalist for a muggle history publication. He'd even published a book three years prior, detailing the lives of war veterans. The timing had been bad, and Kingsley had no desire to read it.

But he was doing it now. It was far along enough that he was ready, close enough that he thought it might help guide him in some way.

Kingsley couldn't believe it had really been five months sometimes. Almost exactly - the anniversary was tomorrow.

Speaking of which...

"Minister Shacklebolt?"

Shacklebot looked up from his book at his assistant. "Yes, Percy?"

Percy had been re-appointed junior undersecretary, despite having had considerably poor role models to look up to - still, he'd been a key informant for the resistance. However, he still had quite a bit to learn.

"Your twelve o'clock appointment is here."

"Oh, from the _Daily Prophet_?"

"Yes."

A young man walked in very purposefully.

 

"Minister Shacklebolt, thank you for meeting me today," he said, shaking Kingsley's hand. "My name is Roger Davies."

"It is very nice to meet you. Please have a seat."

Roger obliged. "I notice your office is in a quiet part of London. You must stroll often."

"I do, yes."

"Do you ever go to the Muggle diner across the street?"

Kingsley nodded. "Often."

"Very well... so tell me, can you believe that in a week, it will have been six months?" Roger asked.

"No, I can't."

"Where do you think we are in comparison to where we should be?"

"I think about that every day," Kingsley admitted. "The truth is, we have come a long way. Hogwarts is almost entirely recovered, many of the missing have been accounted for, and Aurors are catching more and more Death Eaters and accomplices."

"What about Dementors? Will they ever be re-instated to Azkaban?"

"No," Kingsley said firmly. "As I said last month-"

"-but some would say they are necessary for our safety."

"They were once believed to be the most ideal guards," Kingsley said. "However, all they do is punish the innocent, and last time, they aligned with the most guilty. We cannot allow it anymore."

"What, then, will be done?"

"Azkaban will remain guarded by Aurors," Kingsley replied.

"That might be reasonable," Roger said thoughtfully. "So all in all, you think the wizarding world has returned to normal?"

"Of course not. Too many people are still unaccounted for, and obviously those of us who have lost friends and loved ones are still in mourning. There's also a number of people still in St. Mungo's. Homes and buildings still must be rebuilt. But we're making strides, and after such a horrible war, I suppose we can only continue to... move forward together."

Roger nodded. "Perfect. I think we can work with that."

"I beg your pardon?"

"Now tell me about yourself," Roger said. "Is your father not a Muggle?"

"Muggleborn, actually, although he works at a Muggle publication. He and my Mum are both historians-"

"-of course, Lydia Shacklebolt."

"That's right! My father is-"

"Did any of your father's family die in the war?" Roger interrupted.

Kingsley blinked. "Excuse me?"

"Well, they are Muggles."

"No," Kingsley said. "They did not. I would watch how you ask people that in the future."

"Do you know them well?"

Kingsley shook his head. "Not as well as I'd like... I knew my grandparents of course, but they're gone now."

Kingsley heard Roger mutter, "doesn't know Muggle family..."

"I wouldn't say I don't know them at all," Kingsley said with a frown. Where was he going with this?

Roger glared at Kingsley impatiently. "Your job is to dictate. I'll take the notes."

"Unless you need anything else from me, I think we're done for today," Kingsley said.

Roger stood up. "Thank you again, Minister."

Kingsley stepped out of his door to see Roger out; he'd been so relieved that this wasn't Rita Skeeter, but this young man was no better. Kingsley just hoped none of his words were twisted around; he already had enough people concerned about his post.

Not that Kingsley could blame them in the slightest; they had been burdened with so many horrible Ministers and corrupt laws that it was natural for the public to be a little distrustful. His decree to abolish the use of Dementors had been particularly unpopular; many a wizard still deemed them a "necessary evil." His law that Dark Creatures could not be turned away from employment simply for their status was still being debated upon. Kingsley had hoped that the wizarding world would learn, but perhaps that had been idealistic.

Kingsley turned to Percy. "What time is my Auror Office meeting? One o'clock, correct?"

"Yes, Sir."

"Thank you, Percy."

 

"Well, Teddy," Andromeda said as she pushed him in his pram, "So far, Diagon Alley's been better than ever."

It didn't look completely awful; there were only a few empty stores, and people were selling items on the street as they had before. It wouldn't have looked "better" a few years ago, but compared to the state it had been in a few years prior...

A few children passed, their Mum chasing hurriedly after them. Andromeda felt something she didn't like, so she looked away quickly and turned her attention to the baby boy.

Andromeda wasn't sure who Teddy looked more like now, his father or his mother; it didn't help that he would change his features every so often. His natural features seemed to be a perfect combination more so than partial to one or the other. That didn't stop Lyall Lupin from insisting he looked so much like Remus, or from people who had known Dora from claiming she resembled her. Harry had suggested they stick to "Teddy looking like Teddy"; he said that being compared to his father ("but having my Mum's eyes," he'd add) had put a lot of pressure on him in his youth, and it was best if Teddy live up to his own expectations.

Andromeda was glad that Teddy had Harry; he was something of an uncle to him, and the more family Teddy had, the better. It still wasn't quite enough, he just had his Granddad, Lyall, and Andromeda, and it would never replace the people who should have been there... but it was something.

Gringotts had been a grim experience; goblins were less trustful of wizards than they had ever been. Andromeda suspected the only reason they'd been allowed to keep the bank was because it was one of their few major profits, and they needed wizard business. Besides, not all Goblins had blamed wizards, at least not according to rumor - some upheld that had Griphook simply given Harry what he needed, the tragedy may have been averted. Mostly, they did not want more conflict.

Teddy yawned, and Andromeda tickled his stomach. He giggled, and Andromeda was reminded of another baby's giggle.

Stop it, she thought to herself sharply. He's not her. He's him. Now don't let yourself go there or you'll start crying, and we can't have that, can we?

As though fate was less than inclined to be nice to Andromeda today, she saw another painful reminder - Hestia Jones stepping off a curb.

Hestia Jones had been Dora's best friend since they started Hogwarts; Andromeda and Ted had met Hestia's parents the following summer, and soon the two families were very close, even spending holidays together. Over the years they'd drifted somewhat - knowing the truth about Sirius had forced the Tonkses into secrecy, and while Hestia had joined the Order, Phyllis and Glynn Jones remained loyal to Fudge. They'd since renounced their loyalties, but moderate damage had still been done.

Yet they had still been dear friends to Andromeda - she missed them sorely, especially Phyllis, but could not bring herself to contact them. After all, they had been important to Ted and Dora too, and thus that was her association. She saw Glynn, she saw Ted; she saw Phyllis with Glynn, she saw herself with Ted; she saw Hestia and Phyllis or Megan and Phyllis, she saw herself and Dora. It was too much to handle.

Andromeda hoped Hestia hadn't seen her, but it was clear she had; she was already walking over with a look of trepidation on her face.

"Mrs. Tonks," Hestia said. Why wasn't she smiling like she used to? Was it hard for her too, seeing the mother of her best friend?

"I've told you many times now to call me Andromeda."

"Right. Andromeda. Hi."

"How are you?" Andromeda asked.

"I'm well, just taking my lunch. I work at the Muggle Liaison Office now, you know."

"Do you really?"

"Yeah, I got a lot of experience last year, hiding with the Dursleys and all..."

Andromeda smiled. "That's wonderful, dear."

Hestia bent over. "Oh, Teddy you've gotten so big!"

Teddy giggled in response.

"He knows it," Andromeda said with a laugh.

"He's just like his Mum that way, she always knew-"

Hestia stopped, and she suddenly looked very sad. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought-"

"-Dora was very proud of her strengths," Andromeda finished.

"Yeah, I guess she was," Hestia said. "How are... you, anyway?"

"Teddy's keeping me busy," Andromeda replied. Hestia understood; she was, after all, a clever girl.

"Good," Hestia said. "Well, I should be on my way back to the office, but...we should all have dinner soon, at my Mum and Dad's.They miss you, you know."

"I know," Andromeda said.

Hestia stroked Teddy's cheek, and hugged Andromeda briefly before going on with her day.

She made it look so easy.

 

Meetings with the Auror Department were held monthly, co-presided by Kingsley and the Head of Magical Law Enforcement, Humphrey Williamson.

The Auror Department was nothing like it had been before; it couldn't be. Many of the members had only just left Hogwarts, which was a break from tradition as excessive training was required - but desperate times called for desperate measures.

On the other end of the table was Niles Savage, head of the Auror Department. Next to him was Daphne Greengrass, who had spied on her fellow Slytherins during the war and slipped subtle messages to Kingsley. Kenneth Towler, originally a trainee, was eyeing her. Neville Longbottom, Ron Weasley, and Harry Potter were discussing their friends at Hogwarts. Susan Bones was taking notes. Michael Corner was, as usual, giving everyone looks of distaste.

There were members who'd been trained as well, of course - Connor MacMillan, whose nephew had attended Hogwarts, was as ready to fight as ever, and Iona Proudfoot was whispering something to him. Percy Weasley, of course, took a seat next to Kingsley, prepared to take notes.

"Hello," Kingsley said. "I hope you are all well."

"I am, considering I usually work at night," Daphne said.

"How did you manage to spy on Slytherin with your level of honesty?" Ron asked.

"Because people are so used to me being honest, no one thought I might be lying," Daphne replied with a shrug.

"First order of business," Kingsley said. "Any more word on Rabastan Lestrange?"

"We almost got him cornered the other day," Neville said, "but he got away. I don't think he's so brave without his brother and sister-in-law." He said this almost too calmly; it clearly bothered him a great deal.

"One of these days," Harry said. He posed this as a general remark, but was looking at Neville.

The conversation turned more mundane, as it always did; statistics were shared, revenue was reported on, but then-

"Are there any leads on the missing?" Niles Savage asked.

"We finally found Mary and Reggie Cattermole," Iona said. "They're worse for wear, but alive. Their children were very pleased to be reunited with them."

"We're still looking for Penelope Clearwater," Daphne added. "We know her parents and other siblings are alive, though. But they really want answers too - they're terrified she was killed like her brother and his wife."

Percy was gripping into the quill very tightly; the back of his neck was red.

"Percy," Ron began, "I have to ask, when was the last time you spoke?"

Percy hesitated. "Last year. When the Death Eaters took over. We hadn't dated in a while, I let her down in a horrible way and she'd never quite forgiven me, but... I knew what danger she'd be in. I tried to tell her to come with me, that I'd say she was a Weasley, or perhaps a Prewett - there's so few Prewetts left, nobody could argue against her - but she insisted she'd be safe with... her brother and his wife. They lived in the country, nobody would ever find them..." Percy trailed off.

"We're going to find her," Harry said. "She wasn't with her brother, so it's likely she fled somewhere."

"During the first war, a lot of witches and wizards fled voluntarily," Niles said thoughtfully.

More names were mentioned and unaccounted for. Too many; Kingsley could hardly stomach it, and he wondered briefly how Fudge had done it. He even understood, for a horrible moment, why Fudge had wanted to deny it was happening again.

But he wasn't Fudge. Fudge was why things had been as bad as they were; he'd allowed Death Eaters to kill under his nose, and his refusal to allow the Order to fight had delayed their chances of progress. With a second war came a second chance; they would do things right this time.


	3. Chapter 3

There should have been something romantic about being woken up by seawater. In the summer, there was. But in the late fall, it made for a very chilly morning. Every morning.

"Brr," Hestia mumbled as she threw on her robes. She looked outside the window; even the waves seemed to shudder.

Hestia had moved to Shell Cottage with Charlie several months ago, joining Bill and Fleur; she'd initially stayed in the village that had been a sanctuary, but there were too many painful memories. She'd first gone there to hide with the Dursleys, then Tonks and her family had followed suit, and over time many people had come and gone, many of whom who were gone now. Hestia hoped that she could return someday. It would be a nice place to raise a family...

Hestia made her way down the steps; she could hear Bill and Fleur in the kitchen.

"You're finally awake," Fleur said as Hestia sat. "Good. We 'ave to get to work and I didn't want to leave the food out."

"Morning, Hestia," Bill added.

Hestia smiled at him. "Morning, Bill."

"Good night," Charlie yawned as he walked through the door, looking exhausted. Fleur quickly made him a plate as well.

"I thought the reserve was going to get you day shifts?" Hestia asked. Charlie was working for the Welsh Dragon Reserve now; after his younger brother's death, he'd decided it would be best to stay home for a while.

"I gave it to a man with a wife and young child," Charlie explained.

Hestia rolled her eyes. "You're such a Gryffindor."

"You're a Hufflepuff, you'd do the same for a friend."

"Yeah, but because I wanted to help a friend, not because I felt morally obligated to save the world from... dragon keeping."

Everyone laughed. Hestia and Charlie had fought about their houses since they met; this was just one of many, many rounds. In fact, Charlie's utter Gryffindorishness was one of Hestia's favourite things about him, and she knew he felt the same way about her very "Hufflepuff" tendencies.

"So how is Gringotts?" Charlie asked Bill.

Bill sighed. "They still hate us, but things are improving. They trust Fleur, at least. She's more of their liaison than the Ministry one, really."

Fleur didn't look pleased. "Zey trust me because zey zink of me as a Veela. I am not a Veela, I am one quarter Veela."

"Oh, let it go," Hestia muttered.

She really wanted to like Fleur more than she did; Fleur was Bill's wife, and according to Tonks, she'd given a very moving speech when Bill was attacked by Greyback. And she had worked closely with Fleur during the war, given that they were both at their respective havens. But things were almost normal again, and so Hestia was back to not really knowing what to make of Fleur Fleur was one of those people who had a very good heart, but it was underneath things Hestia didn't always want to touch.

Of course, Fleur had also opened her house to Charlie and Hestia after having already used it as a refuge; Hestia knew perfectly well that Fleur could have told Bill that no, they would not let his brother and his Hogwarts friend live with them when they'd finally gotten their lives back. Sure, they got rent money out of it, but the advantage of having an old family home was that the mortgage had been paid off centuries ago. Literally. Most of Hestia and Charlie's money went towards the added expense of two people. So Hestia tried to be grateful.

"How about you, Hestia?" Charlie asked. "Is the Muggle Liaison Office fully reformed yet?"

"The Obliviators still aren't keen on us," Hestia said. "We've tried to push for obliviation to be limited to emergencies... some of them are fine with it, others seem to like the idea of obliviating when they see fit."

"In France," Fleur began, "we do not obliviate freely."

Hestia checked her watch. "We'd best get going."

They quickly finished their breakfast and started cleaning up. Hestia considered mentioning her run-in with Andromeda Tonks, but thought better of it; bringing that up would be a reminder that things really weren't normal, and there was a time and place for such reminders. A relatively pleasant morning before work wasn't one of them.

Hestia was glad, at least, that she wouldn't have to stay at the office this morning. Instead, she was to go to Hogwarts.

Hestia said a polite hello to Arnold Peasegood, her boss, and collected some items off of her desk. She'd just reached the main floor when a familiar voice said, "Hestia?"

Hestia turned around. Kingsley was behind her, holding a coffee mug.

"Minister!" Hestia said excitedly, and she extended her hand.

Kingsley raised his eyebrows. "I'm still Kingsley to you, I hope."

Hestia laughed. "It's fun to tease you. Although I have a bone to pick with you."

"And that would be?"

"Where have you been? You haven't shown up to any of the Order meetings."

"Oh." Kingsley sounded surprised. "I thought I made it clear that I-"

"-I know, I know, you're Minister now and want the Order to be separate from the Ministry, et cetera. Doesn't mean you can't come back and visit. I think you're still our leader, you know. "

"What? I recommended Harry or Minerva. And Sturgis, although he's almost as mad as Alastor now, so I gave him a pass..."

Hestia smiled at the bittersweet memory. The mention hadn't been intentional, she knew he'd spoken without thinking, but it was easier to do that now, at least with some people. Other names still stung a bit. "He'd be proud of your slogan, y'know. Constant vigilance."

"Constant vigilance. But what about Harry, then?"

"You know Harry has quite enough on his plate, and anyway... he was never really in the Order, was he? He has his own people."

"Right... well... perhaps it's best. Not everything has to be led. How are your meetings, then?"

"They're... going. Audrey Buggleswab is new, we work together... she's been helping me with the Clearwater case."

"I didn't know you'd taken it on."

"We were all assigned something. I've been working with the Auror Department, too. My official job is to maintain contact with her family, of course, and report back to the Aurors, but..."

"You can't resist getting more involved than that?"

"No," Hestia said. "I was in the Order before I was in the Muggle Liaison Office, striving to better understand and help muggles. Why should it end now?"

Kingsley smiled. "I still remember when you found a potato peeler hilarious."

Hestia swatted Kingsley playfully. "Sod off."

Hestia realized how much she'd missed Kingsley. They'd been growing closer; all of them had been, even Mundungus had been something of a friend, but Kingsley was different. He wasn't as aloof as some of the others, which Hestia liked. But when she'd gone into hiding with the Dursleys, contact had been infrequent, and didn't always last long. It wasn't like before, when they would sometimes prolong meetings for the sake of socializing. Hestia had hoped perhaps their sense of companionship would return once the war ended, but they'd just drifted from one another even more. They maintained the Order more to prevent the same mistakes being made than anything else.

"Really, though," she said softly, "I've missed you."

"I've missed you too," Kingsley said.

He looked like he was about to say something else, but they were interrupted by Audrey hurrying towards them.

"Sorry," she panted. "I got into an argument with Percy Weasley and lost track of time."

"About Penelope?" Hestia asked. Percy occasionally got touchy about her.

"No, about a book," Audrey replied, as though arguments about literature were typical of her.

Audrey finally noticed Kingsley, and straightened her shoulders. "Minister Shacklebolt! I didn't even notice you. I'm Audrey Buggleswab." 

"That's quite all right; it's a pleasure to meet you. Well, I will let you two be on your way."

"Don't be a stranger," Hestia said.

"Nor you."

Hestia wished she could follow Kingsley, that their conversation hadn't had to end. She wracked her brains for an excuse, but remembered she and Audrey ought to have left by now and quickly led the way.

 

Hogwarts was still not the same, Hestia thought as she walked into the entrance with Audrey.

 

It had improved since the last time she'd been there - the statues were intact again, and the students didn't look as shell-shocked as they had before. Still, Hestia couldn't notice that a few eyed her suspiciously. Could she blame them?  
She back looked at the grounds darkly, then looked away. There wasn't time for bad memories.

"My favourite course at Hogwarts was History of Magic," Audrey was saying, and Hestia realized they were talking about their Hogwarts days. "Binns was dreadful, but the subject was fascinating, and some of the poems we had to read! Did you know _Wulfric_ was either based on a muggle epic, or the other way around?"

"I... don't remember that one," Hestia admitted. She thought for a minute. "Unless it's the really long one written in the middle ages? I think my friend Bill's notes got me through it, he was a year ahead."

Audrey looked disappointed, so Hestia added, "I read the whole thing before looking at his notes, of course." This was a lie, but it was a safe lie.

"You have to read the whole thing - again, that is. When you look at it in the context of the battles and wars we've had..."

"Uh-huh," Hestia said absently. It was trying to come back, and she was fighting it. Eager to change the subject, Hestia asked, "what House were you in?"

"I'm yammering about books at you. D'you really have to ask?"

Hestia laughed. "Ravenclaw?"

"Yes. I can't figure out what House you would've been in - Gryffindor or Hufflepuff."

"I'm a Hufflepuff. Left in 1991."

"I left in '95... yes, the year of the Tournament."

Hestia winced. "That must have been difficult."

Audrey shrugged. "I focus on the good things. I met international students, watched two enthralling games... Cedric's death was horrible, it cast a shadow on everything, but otherwise it was one of our better years, really. The previous year we had those dreadful Dementors, the year before that everyone was attacked by... you know, I don't think we were ever told what exactly happened. Something about a Basilisk in the water pipes."

"I remember my sister writing about that. Mum and Dad almost pulled her out when a girl in her year was Petrified."

"Penelope Clearwater was only a year ahead of us... it was awful. I don't think she was quite the same after that."

"Were you friends?"

Audrey hesitated. "She was one of those people who had a lot of friendly acquaintances, but she didn't keep many close. After she was attacked, she grew more aloof. At first we thought she was just busy with Percy, but... even when she wasn't with him, she kept more quiet than usual. Sometimes I wish we'd pushed more, maybe it would've kept her safe."

"You couldn't have known what would happen," Hestia said softly.

"I know."

"Well, this is the room," Hestia told Audrey. "You're inspecting the Ravenclaw Common Room, right?"

"Right. Seeing if there's any clues, interviewing Flitwick and a few students who knew of her."

"Good luck," Hestia said.

She walked into the Muggle Studies Classroom, which contained posters of muggle television shows, telephones, and ironing boards. She sat in the chair next to Robert McGonagall's desk. He was McGonagall's nephew.

As everyone walked in, they all stared at Hestia.

"She's not... inspecting us, is she?" A boy in the front asked.

"She isn't here to do what Umbridge did, if that's your concern. She merely wants to observe, and talk about some of her own experience living with muggles. My own knowledge base isn't as current, after all."

"You lived with muggles?" The boy asked incredulously.

"Yes," Robert said. "But before we get to that..."

Hestia listened as they went through the previous lesson and subsequent homework.

After some time, it was Hestia's turn to speak; she stood up and walked to the centre of the desk.

""Last year," she began, "I protected a muggle couple..."

Hestia detailed some of her experience, while trying to keep everything vague. It was true they hadn't actually been in the outside world, so their actual access to muggle things was limited; however, they had had a telly, so Hestia had seen multiple soaps thanks to Petunia (whom she called "Daisy"), and "Doug" had watched Rugby. She'd also learned a lot about their society, some things more pleasant than others.

"Soaps," a girl snickered. "No wonder muggles are mad, if they watch soap all day."

There was an uncomfortable silence in the room.

Hestia looked at her. "May I ask your name?"

"Athena Robbins."

"Well, Athena," Hestia said, "they would consider the sport of Quidditch rather silly."

"Professor Carrow said they have sports where they shoot each other with metal wands that have bullets." The boy in the front nodded in agreement, and while most students were glaring, a few looked as though they were considering Athena's points.

"Alecto Carrow is currently in Azkaban for, among other things, the murder of an entire muggle family," Hestia told him.

"But they really do have games like that, don't they?"

"There is a game called Russian Roulette," Robert interrupted. "However, usually shooting another person is a sort of unforgivable, committed only to harm."

"My parents are muggles, they'd never shoot anyone," a boy in the middle row said quietly.

"Well of course they wouldn't, Dennis, your Dad's a postman," Athena sneered.

"That's enough," Robert said firmly. "Does anyone have any questions about Hestia's time with muggles?"

"Yeah, can you explain soaps again?" Another girl asked.

Hestia paused. "Well, they are sort of... serial stories about men and women having various problems. Usually se- romantic scandals. They're not very plausible problems, but they're fun to watch."

"So they're stupid," another boy blurted.

"Not everything muggleborns watch are soaps," Hestia added. "There's a very funny show, Mr. Bean-"

"What kind of name is Mr. Bean?"

Before Hestia could answer, the bell rang. Everyone left, nobody talking.

"I'm sorry about that," Robert said. "For what it's worth, I think everyone learned more than it seemed. But you see now why this course is so critical."

"I do," Hestia said. "Are they really so brainwashed, even now?"

"They're better; we required students who expressed volatile attitudes to take the course, and Athena did appear to believe the things she was told - although it's uncertain how much she learned at home. I imagine they're also afraid of the chance that they're still around."

"Can the Ministry help in any way?"

"If I need help or input, I will ask, as I did today. Do you have any advice?"

"Perhaps show them a television show - there's ways to work around the charms here," Hestia suggested. "Or better yet, give them a muggle book, my coworker Audrey likes this one about lions and wardrobes or something..."

Robert smiled. "I will consider it. Well, thank you, Hestia."

"You are so welcome."

Hestia left the room and headed towards Flitwick's office, where she'd agreed to meet Audrey. Audrey was just coming out.

"Not much," Audrey said with a sigh before Hestia could ask. "Didn't get much at all. However, Flitwick did tell me she always wanted to visit Egypt. Could she have gone there?"

"Maybe... my friend Bill knows people there, they may be able to look into it," Hestia replied. "Although if she is just hiding, it could be she doesn't want to be found."

"On the other hand, she could be at a hospital there. Or worse - we know Death Eaters had 'jobs' overseas."

"Exactly. That's what makes this so hard. Did she leave out of her own volition, is she harmed or..."

Hestia froze; they'd passed the window that overlooked _that_ spot on the grounds again. She felt queasy.

"Hestia?"

Audrey was staring at her; Hestia realized her eyes had filled with tears, and she'd actually held her wand out to the floor.

"Sorry, I thought I saw a spider," Hestia lied.

"Are you okay...?"

"I told you, I thought I saw a spider!" Hestia snapped.

Audrey looked surprised, and Hestia forced herself to laugh. "Sorry, I hate them."

She knew Audrey didn't believe her, but fortunately no further questions were asked.


End file.
